“England are No.1. But they have more to do to become like Australia for a period of time. They have to be the team to beat.” he was quoted as saying by a daily.

“A few months ago the ICC ranking system said India was the No.1. Then England and now it will pass to South Africa. It changes every few months, so that means nothing,” he added.

The spin legend says that England are poor player of spin bowling.

Muralitharan as saying that he was not surprised to see the England batters struggling against Pakistan spinners Saeed Ajmal and Abdur Rehman.

He said England’s infrequent tours to the subcontinent were the main reason for the miserable batting performances against Pakistan spinners.

“You have to learn to play spin very well and in that department they are lacking so you can see the results now,” he said. “They are not used to the conditions and conditions are always very important in cricket. They need to play here more often and get used to them,” he added.